Sheet supporting means



Oct. 20; 1936. G. E. FRol-:cl-l

SHEET SUPPORTING MEANS 4 shee'ts-sheet 1 Filed Oct. 8, 1954 JTW EN QNP/m W T O uw@ m W m v n l Y Z mw 6 W Y l Nw ,ww w QM r\ k L )QN @mM QN.xl ||I||||||HHV|||In|||||H||||||l|| @E HNWHIN www L V mm, E i X N oct.2o; 1936.

G. E. FRQELICH SHEET SUPPORTING MEANS AFiled oct. '8, 41.934 4sheets-sheet 2 Oct. 2 0, 1936. G YE, FROELICH 2,058,074

l SHEET SUPPORTING MEANS Filed OC'b. 8, 1934 4 Sheeos--Slfleel'l 5fnl/671227 6607376 E roelz'C/z w p l G. E. FROELICH.

SHEET SUPPORTING MEANS Oef. zo, y1936.

Filed dot. 8, 19.34 4 sheets-sheet 4 NNI I I I I l I I l I I l l l I I lI I l l 1 :HMI-I IMI .lor

'III

Patented @et 20,119.36

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE Hamilton Manufacturing Company, Two

Rivers, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application Uctober 8, 1934,Serial No. '747,273

12 Claims. (Cl. 129-1) This invention relates to sheet supporting meansmore particularly for relatively large sheets such as tracings,blueprints, maps, etc., which are filed in flat condition in cabinetdrawers of drafting rooms and the like, a number of such sheetssometimesas many as a hundred-being superposed one on another.

It is desirable that such sheets be prevented from curling up orbecoming frayed on the edges ,due to irregularity of stacking thesheets, and one object of the present invention is to provide improvedmeans for thispurpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide simple and improvedmeans for permitting ready withdrawal or insertion of a sheet which maybe even a considerable distance down in the stack.

Hitherto many `devices in this class have operated on the principle-'ofa lifting 4devicewhich grasps from above the Ysheets next uppermost ofthe one to be removedV and clamps them against the front of the cabinetwhen the drawer has been partially withdrawn. In the present invention,however, the principle is employed of supporting these sheets frombelow, which hasY the advantage not only of simplicity vof structure andoperation but permits a greater number of sheets to be handled while ratthe same time affording a frictional Contact with the sheet next aboveto the sheet to be removed, which guards against a forward drag on thesheets. Thus, the sheet to be removed can be readily withdrawn while thesheets above it are substantially positively both supported 'and heldback, and yet without being folded more than once, and when 'desiredthese top sheets are drawn back into place in flat condition so as tolie in regular stacked relation to the other sheets withoutdisplacement: Y

Since the improved device is wholly self-contained within a drawer it isequally serviceable for the topmost drawer of the cabinet asV for anyother and may be readily removed entirely from the drawer if desired, orquickly replaced.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the foregoingdescription, taken together With the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a plan View of an improved sheetsupporting means container,parts being shown in normal position, in accordance with my invention;

Figure'Z is a sectiontaken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1*,s0mewhat enlarged,parts being shown in elevation, `sho'wing'in broken lines anintermediate position of the parts when exposure of the sheets isdesired; y

-rFigure 3 is la plan view 'Similar to Fig. 1 but showing the iinalposition of the parts when exposed;

Figure 4 isa section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3, somewhat enlarged,parts being shown in elevation and showing in full lines the nalposition of the parts when exposed, and in broken lines a secondintermediate position of the parts;

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig.

Figure 6 is an enlarged partial side elevation taken on the line 6 6 ofFig. 3 showing manually-releasable retaining means for the' container; vi I Figure 7 is a plan` view similar to Fig. 1 show ing a modified formof the invention;

Figures `8 and 9 are respectively similarplan Views but showing anintermediate and iinal position of the parts when exposure ofthe sheetsis desired; and

Figure 10' is a perspective view of a part shown in Figs. '7, 8 and 9.

Referring in detail to the-illustrative construction shown in thedrawings, I have shown ingeneral a portion of a cabinet or the like Ilhaving a vertical front face I2 and a top I3. The cabinet maybeadvantageously constructed of sheet metal and-may house, in verticalrelation, a tier of large relatively shallow drawers such as the drawerI4 here shown asV the top-most drawer in the cabinet, which is adaptedto be partially or wholly withdrawn from the cabinet in a hori- Zontalplane dened by the guide-ways I5, I6 of the cabinet. 1 Y i The drawer orcontainer III is likewise advantageously constructed of sheet metal andincludes a rectangular bottom or base member I'I of relatively largearea, a rear wall member I3 Ywhich may be integral with the bottom, afront wall member I9 which may be spot-welded to the bottom, and sidewalls 20 also'spot-welded to the bottom. The side walls desirably extendrearwardly beyond the rear wall as shown. The side walls 20 aredesirably angularly bent upon themselves as at 2| along each marginofthe bottom I'I to provide longitudinally-directed runners reducing thefriction between the drawer and the guide-ways I6 of the cabinet andupon which the drawer is carried. Also along their longitudinal upperedges the side members 2U are, in accordance with my invention, againangularly bent upon themselves first laterally outwardly and then theirfree ends directed laterally inwardly to provide channels 22 runningfrom front to rear of the drawer on each side thereof and oisetoutwardly of the main wall portion 2D for a purpose` presentlydescribed. For a similar purpose also, the front wall I9 is bentangularly forwardly at its upper edge as at 23 to coincide with thechannels 22. To reinforce the main front wall member I9, the bottommember I1 may be bent around the member I9 including the offset portion23 as at 24, 25, respectively, and secured about these parts may be afinishing plate 26 having bentover portions 21 and 28 at the bottom andtop thereof respectively, which clamp the parts together and which limitinsertion of the drawer into the cabinet II and also provide averticallyelongated front face for the drawer for purposes of carryingthe usual label or other indicia with reference to the contents of thedrawer.

So constructed and arranged, the drawer I4 is adapted to receive aplurality, frequently as many as one hundred or more, of large sheets 29fiat-lying and superposed one upon the other desirably in verticalalignment, which sheets may generally be tracings as filed in a draftingroom, or blueprints, maps, or the like.

It will be understood that the relatively shallow but large area spaceprovided between the wall members already referred to is but slightlygreater than the area of the sheets 29, so that the sheets are thusstacked in substantially vertical alignment, which guards againstfraying of the edges of the sheets due to irregularity of stacking; andto further so maintain the sheets and also to guard against curling ofthe edges of the sheets, I provide a cover member 3) which in accordancewith my invention is flexible and which I have here represented by astrong curtain-like member of fabric imitation leather material and ofsubstantially the area of the sheets 29. This cover or protector 3D ispermanently secured along the rear wall of the drawer as by having itsrear edge clamped between a rearwardly overhanging portion 3| of therear wall I8 and a similar portion 32 of a partial closure 33 for thedrawer, the screws 34 clamping these parts together.

The partial closure 33 is of importance to the practice of my inventionand extends transversely across the drawer atits rear portion above thechannels 22 and may be bent around these channels as best shown in Fig.5. The front edge of this partial closure 33 may be bent back uponitself as at 35 both to reinforce the parts and also to avoid a sharpedge of the metal of this part which might be likely to cut the exiblefabric cover 30.

To retain this cover 30 at its forward end in association with the frontedges of the sheets when the sheets 29 are not being referred to, I haveshown the material of the cover sewn upon itself as at 39 to receivetherethrough a metallic rod 31 which extends at each side of the drawerslightly beyond the cover and is received in the horizontally alignedvertical slots 38 in the side wall members 20.

When access is desired to one of the sheets 29, in accordance with myinvention, the drawer I4 need only be partially withdrawn from thecabinet I I as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, a stop 39 normally preventingcomplete withdrawal of the drawer. As limited by this stop, the draweris normally withdrawn to an extent where it is adequately supported bythe cabinet but so that the major part of the drawer and the partialclosure 33 is exposed. Thereupon, to expose the sheets, the cover 30 maybe folded back upon the partial closure 33 which provides a rest surfaceor platform for this purpose, and with the cover may be folded such ofthe sheets 29a, if any, as are next above a particular sheet such as thesheet 40 (Figs. 3 and 4)-which it may be the desire to remove. Tosupport the cover and next-uppermost sheets in elevated position abovethe sheet 40 throughout the greater part of the area of. the sheets, Iprovide novel supporting means? comprising a bar 4I spanning the sheetstrans-- Versely and carried by the drawer to be moved into and out ofposition beneath the cover and sheets which are folded back so as toleave the sheet 4U substantially free.

As here shown, the bar 4I is desirably a transverse part of a frame-likemember 42 advantageously constructed of a rod metal material bent intorectangular form and having side parts 43 which are received and moveslidingly in the channels 22 and are integral with the forward barportion 4I and which space from said forward bar portion 4|, thetransverse member 44 also integral therewith.

In the normal position of the cover 30 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thebar portion 4I is received in the forwardly-offset portion 23 of thefront wall member so as to be out of the way of the front edges of thecover and sheets, and the other transverse member 44 of the frame 42 ispositioned intermedially between the front and rear edges of the coverand sheets and approximately about one-third of the way back from thefront to the rear of the drawer.

To secure access to the sheets, the cover member 30 is first releasedfrom the slots 38. To lift the bar 31 from these slots, I desirablyprovide cut-out portions 45 in the front edge of the cover exposing therod 31 as at 46 to a suicient extent to be readily grasped by thefingers. Thus, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 2, the cover may befirst folded back upon itself over the part 44 of the frame. Next thesheets 29a (representing those above the sheet 40 to which access may bedesired) are also folded back over the part 44 of the frame with thecover 3D. Then, as indicated in broken lines in Fig. 4, the free edgesof the cover and the sheets 29a; are moved backwardly to be received onand partially supported by the partial closure or platform 33. In saidmovement, the cover and sheets 29a will retract with themselves theframe 42 by reason of the transverse portion 44 of the frame beingengaged by the bight of the cover and sheets, as best indicated inbroken lines in Fig. 4.

Next the frame 42 is manually pushed back still farther until theforward bar-like portion 4I of the frame is moved into the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 4 where it is in Contact beneath the foldedportions of the cover and sheets 29a fully supporting these portions inelevated position well above the sheet 4U. To limit the backwardmovement of the bar portion 4I the rearmost portion 44 of the frame mayabut the stops 41 struck out of the side walls 20 as best shown in Figs.3 and 6.

Thereupon the sheet 40 may be readily removed from the drawer withoutsubstantially disturbing the vertical alignment of the rear edges of thesheets 29 or 29a.v Although the rear edges of the sheets 29a are notelevated out of contact entirely with the sheet to be removed, the areaof contact is so materially reduced that the sheet 4D may be readilyslipped from beneath the same, and my improved supporting meansincluding the bar 4I, being in frictional contact with the sheets 29a ontheir underside, this bar exercises a restraining influence upon therear edges of the sheets 29a which substantially counteracts anytendency to aforward drag thereon when the sheet l0 is slipped frombeneath the same.

After the sheet 40, for example, has been removed, or Vhas been removedand it or another sheet reinserted in its place,A the frame 42 maybeslid forward again as by being grasped bythe fingers at the bar 4I anddrawn back into position, indicated in full lines in Figs. l and 2.During this step, the rear Itransverse part 44 of the frame will ofcourse follow the part 4| and will re-engage the cover 30 and foldedsheets 29a in the bight of the fold and will re-layf them in superposedposition upon the lower sheets 29, the foldedportons ofV the cover andsheets 29a slipping around the part M'and falling naturally into placewithout any disturbance of their rearmost edges. Since the rearmostedges of these sheets have been undisturbed, the front edges `willportion of the partial closure or platform 33 movable from back to frontof the drawer. ForA instance, I may provi-de a plate dil as shown inperspective in Fig. l0 of sufficient width to span the drawer and thechannels 22 and having-laterally inturned flanges 49 providing grooveswhich slidingly lreceive the channels 22. At its front edge butterminating shortnof the walls 20, the plate (i8 may have a shortdepending flange 5l! which, as shown in Fig. 7, may hook over thetransverse part M of the frame 42, being drawn by the frame forward ofthe fixed portion 5l of the partial closure. Thus, as shown in Fig..8,when :the cover member and sheets 29a are first folded back, their freeends may'rest immediately upon the plate 48 and the plate and free endsof the cover and sheets may then be moved together rearwardly by slidingthe plate along the edge of the drawer to the position shown in Fig. 9which corresponds in function to the position shown in full lines inFig. 4. To permit ready retraction of the plate 48 the plate may beprovided at its rear edge with an upstanding flange 52 against which therod 3l of the cover may lie during its movement. Upon retraction of theplate d8, the frame 4Z is also partially retracted.

When it is desired to remove the drawer I4 entirely from the cabinet,the stop 39 may be manually released from engagement with the inner faceof the front Wall of the cabinet. To accomplish this, the stop 39 may bepivoted as by a longitudinally extending portion 39a upon one of thewalls 2l) in a bracket 53 which may be spotwelded to the wall as at 54,the hinge-like part 39a of the stop being extended in a crank or handlepart 55 by which Vthe stop 39 may be rotated into a vertical positionwhich will clear the front wall of the cabinet. It will be understoodthat in its normal position the stop 39 extends out beyond the channel22 to engage the cabinet, whereas when swung into vertical position itis within the vertical projection of the channel so as to be unengagedby the cabinet. It will also be understood that the handle part 55 ofthe releasable stop will be normally within the vertical projection ofthe channel 22 so as not to interfere with inward and outward movementof the drawer in the cabinet, and when the drawer is partially withdrawnto its limit to engage the stop 39 with the cabinet, the handle part 55will be outside or forward `of the front face of the cabinet so as to bereadily accessible to the hand, and as shown at 56 (Fig. 3) ,may beswung up into the releasing position as explained and claimed in theGeimer Patent No. 1,569,010.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the details of constructionshown for the purposes'of illustration. Furthermore, it is notindispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly asvarious combinations and sub-combinations may be advantageouslyemployed.

Having described my invention, I claim:

l. In a device of the class described, the Vcornbination with arelatively shallow container adapted to receive a substantial number ofseparate normally flat-lying sheets, of a member slidable from front torear along the container in the vicinity of the upper portion thereofinto position between some of the sheets and other ofthe sheets foldedback upon themselves, said member receiving the said other sheetsthereon, and a channel in the container receiving the member forslidable movement, said channel being spacedV above some of said sheets,said member being also reciprocable in said channel to a position offsetforwardly out of the way of the flat-lying sheets.

2. In a` device of the class described, the combination of a flat baseupon which a plurality of sheets may be superposed, a platform elevatedabove the base at the rear thereof, a flexible cover member secured atits rear edge below the platform normally substantially covering thesheets and adapted to have its front portion folded back upon saidplatform to be supported thereby,fa member carried by the base movableinto position between the cover member and the base to elevate thecovermember thereabove, and means carried by the base supporting the saidmember in'said position.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a relativelyshallow rectangular sheet container having a front wall, side walls anda flat base, a sheet supporting bar extending between the side walls andslidable therealong above the base from front to rear of the container,and channels in the front and side walls receiving the bar, saidchannels bei-ng offset outside the area of the base between said walls.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a relativelyshallow rectangular sheet container having front and rear walls, sidewalls, and a flat base, a partial closure for the container, and a sheetsupporting bar extending between the side walls and slidable therealongfrom front to rear of the container between the front wall and thepartial closure.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a relativelyshallow rectangular container having a flat base, front and rear walls,side walls, a partial closure for the container at the rear thereof,said container being adapted to receive a plurality of superposedflat-lying sheets, a flexible cover for the sheets secured at the rearof the container beneath the partial closure and normally extending toadjacent the front wall, and a bar extending between the side walls andslidable therealong from front to rear of the container between thefront wall and the partial closure, said bar being adapted to be movedinto position beneath the cover when the cover is folded back on thepartial closure and to support the cover elevated from said base.

6. The structure of claim 5 wherein the flexible cover is of a fabricmaterial and has a rod extending transversely thereof at its forward endand there are means on the container at its forward end interengagingwith said rod to secure the cover in position.

'7. The structure of claim 5 wherein the side walls are oppositelychanneled from front to rear thereof in the vicinity of their tops andthe bar is in the form of a rectangular frame having side parts slidablein said channels, and transverse parts extending across the side wallsand spaced apart by said side parts whereby the forward end of the covermay be raised between the said transverse parts and the cover, uponrearward movement as described, engages the rearmost of the transverseparts in the movement of the cover to move the frame rearwardly of thecontainer.

8. In a device of the class described, a drawer adapted to receive aplurality of relatively large sheets in superposed normally atcondition, a partial 'fixed closure for the drawer at the rear thereof,said partial closure providing' a rest surface at the rear of the drawerwhen the drawer is partially exposed, a eXible cover of fabric materialsecured at its rear beneath the partial closure and having a rodextending transversely thereof at its forward end, vertical slots in thedrawer at its forward end receiving the ends of the rod to maintain thecover in position over the sheets, a frame slidable along the top of thedrawer from front to rear, channels in the drawer receiving the framefor sliding movement the forward ends of the cover and a portion of thesheets being adapted to be raised between the parts of the frame andfolded back upon the rest surface, partially retracting the frametherewith, the forward portion of the frame being then manually movablebeneath the folded portions of the cover and folded sheets to elevatethe bight of the sheets and to frictionally grip the sheet nearestthereto whereby the next sheet may be removed from the drawer whereuponthe frame may be pulled forward to drop the cover and the folded sheetsback into original position.

9. The structure of claim 8 wherein a forward portion of the partialclosure is slidable from front to rear of the container on the sidewalls and engages the frame to retract it and is itself engaged by theframe to be advanced thereby.

10. The structure of claim 3 wherein another sheet supporting bar isprovided rearwardly of the rst bar and parallel therewith, said secondbar being connected with the rst bar for movement therewith in saidchannels.

11. The structure of claim 3 wherein a bar is provided rearwardly of therst bar and parallel therewith, said second bar being connected with therst bar for movement therewith in said channels, and wherein a partialclosure for the container is slidable along the top thereof parallelwith said bars and engages the said second bar to retract it and isitself engaged by the said second bai` to be advanced thereby.

12. In a device of the class described, the combination with a containeradapted to receive a substantial number of flat-lying flexible sheets,of a member carried by the container reciprocable in a planesubstantially parallel with the normally flat-lying sheets into positionbetween the sheets for supporting some of the sheets at their forwardportions elevated above and spaced from the remainder of the sheets overa substantial area of the sheets, and means on the container determiningsaid plane of reciprocation for the member above some of said sheets,said member being also reciprocable in said plane on the container fromsheet supporting position to a position offset forwardly out of the wayof the sheets.

GEORGE E. FROELICH.

